


Having a Blast

by nagi_schwarz



Series: Strange Tides [4]
Category: Farscape, Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-04-18 22:00:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14222679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nagi_schwarz/pseuds/nagi_schwarz
Summary: Sandra, Nicole, and their friend Savannah decide to meet up for a summer music festival, and along the way they pick up new friends and have yet more adventures. It’s a blast.





	Having a Blast

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Brumeier](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/gifts).



> Happy Birthday to the phenomenal Brumeier! Hope your big day is also a blast!
> 
> Much thanks to the lovely SherlockianSyndromes for her awesome beta work.

The problem with being anywhere crowded with Nicole was that she disappeared because she was so short. Sandra wasn’t much taller than Nicole, so she was too short to keep track of Nicole in the crowds. It was a good thing Savannah was with them, because she was a good ten inches taller than Sandra, and she could usually spot Nicole.

Usually.

“I don’t see her,” Savannah said, shrugging helplessly.

“We should have put one of those leashed backpacks on her,” Sandra muttered. She and Savannah were standing at the edge of the massive field that was teeming with humans. There were two stages at either end of the field, both decked out with fancy lighting rigs and sound systems.

Everything in between was grass, food vendors, memorabilia vendors, and people. So many people.

Savannah consulted the crumpled, damp flyer in her hand. “We agreed we were going to see Hot Chelle Rae next. Maybe if we head over to the stage where they’re going to be playing, we’ll see her there. Eventually. If not we can find the security booth and put out a Code Adam for her. She’s as short as a child.”

And about as excitable as one.

As soon as they’d made it through the venue gate, Nicole had stopped by a food vendor and bought a massive caffeinated soda. Then they’d roamed half of the memorabilia booths, looking at t-shirts and other souvenirs to commemorate their musical adventure. By the time that was done she’d acquired t-shirts for every band they planned to see plus t-shirts of those bands her husband liked, she’d drunk her entire soda, and she’d had to pee three times.

And then they’d lost her.

“Ooh, hey, I think I know her!” she’d said and darted into the crowd, quick as a snake.

Nicole had gone to law school in the Midwest, and for someone who claimed to be an introvert, she had an awful lot of acquaintances and was always hell bent on saying hello to them.

Sandra would admit that the last time she and Nicole had become unduly embroiled with strangers, she’d been the one to initiate contact, first with Steve the Sea Person, then with John and Rodney. They’d ended up in some sticky situations as a result. But this weekend was all about sun, fun, and music. Three gal pals out enjoying a warm, humid midwestern summer. Nothing crazy or weird happening here.

Savannah said, “I just texted her. She says she’s on her way back.”

As if on cue, Nicole emerged from the crowd - with two strangers in tow, one a brown-haired man in jeans and a t-shirt, the other a black-haired woman in daisy dukes and a blue checked button-down top.

“Nicole,” Savannah said very patiently, “who are your new friends?”

Nicole beamed. She had another soda in her hands. “This is Vala. She went to school with one of my cousins in England, and this is her friend Cam. Cam’s an Air Force pilot.”

“Another Air Force pilot,” Sandra said faintly.

Vala was beaming, pleased. Cam wore an expression of longsuffering. 

“Another?” Savannah asked.

“We made acquaintances with one,” Sandra said. “In Hawaii.”

Savannah’s expression darkened. She’d been out of her mind with worry when she heard about the hostage situation Sandra and Nicole had landed themselves in. 

“Vala says this is her first outdoor music festival,” Nicole said. “Never did Glastonbury or Warped Tour or anything. Is it cool if they hang out with us?”

Savannah glanced at Sandra. Sandra looked back up at her. Then she narrowed her eyes at Nicole, remembering how Nicole had thought either John or Rodney might be  _ for _ Sandra. Cam was good-looking, muscular beneath his t-shirt, broad-shouldered, with neat, even features. Nicole had introduced him as Vala’s  _ friend. _ They weren’t giving off any couple-y vibes. 

Savannah said, “Sure! Your first concert?”

“Not mine,” Cam said. “I came to this festival years back, with my little brother, but he couldn’t go this year and Vala had some free time, so - here we are.” 

He had a cute southern drawl.

“Any bands in particular you’re interested in seeing?” Savannah asked. Of the three of them, she was the music aficionado.

“David Gilmour, mostly,” Cam said, “but I’ve heard good things about Muse.”

“Muse is awesome live,” Nicole said fervently.

“We plan on seeing Hot Chelle Rae first.” Sandra smiled politely, but she didn’t want to be too friendly in case Cam got the wrong idea. What, if anything, had Nicole said to him?

“Never heard of them,” Vala said, casting Cam a pointed look.

He sighed. “You know, that song that Satterfield likes to listen to on the radio.” And he began to sing Tonight, Tonight.

Vala’s eyes lit up. “Oh, that song! I do like that song.”

“They’ll be playing at that stage down there in about half an hour.” Savannah pointed to the far end of the green field.

“Well then, let’s go.” Vala tugged on Cam’s arm, then turned and darted into the crowd.

Nicole followed her.

“Well.” Savannah blinked. “There’s two of them.”

“Two of them?” Cam asked.

Savannah gestured. “Doing that - dashing, Artful Dodger thing.”

“Oh. That.” Cam looked resigned. “Yeah, she does that a lot. So, what brings you ladies out here?”

“Well, Nicole and I are best friends from college,” Savannah said, “and then she moved out to New York where Sandra lives. They’d been best friends online for a while before she moved out there, and now they’re friends in real life. Then I kinda joined the whole online thing, and we decided to get together. This is sort of halfway between us. I’m from Colorado. Nicole was in Nebraska for grad school, so she knows her way around here the best.”

“It’s nice that you can get together,” Cam said. “Where in Colorado are you from? I’m stationed at Cheyenne Mountain.”

“Grand Junction, originally,” Savannah said, “but we went to college in Utah.”

“If you’re stationed at Cheyenne Mountain,” Sandra said, “what brings you and Vala out here?”

“My family’s had a farm in Kansas for generations.” Cam strolled along with his hands in his pockets, seemingly casual, but he was scanning their surroundings warily. Was he even aware he was doing it? “Vala likes to take turns traveling with various teammates. It was my turn again.”

“Teammates?” Savannah asked.

“Yeah. She’s a civilian contractor with the project I’m on. Classified,” Cam added, a little apologetically. 

“It’s nice of you to bring her with you,” Sandra said. She understood things being classified.

And then she realized. Cheyenne Mountain. Was Cam part of the same project as Rodney and John? Not that there weren’t multiple projects being run out of Cheyenne Mountain, all of them classified.

When the three of them reached the other end of the field, Nicole and Vala were already there. Nicole was sharing her soda with Vala, who looked delighted at whatever concoction Nicole had dug up (she loved weird, complicated mixed soda drinks, and she had the uncanny skill of convincing people at fast food joints to make them for her). Vala was also regaling Nicole with tales of the antics she’d gotten up to at school with Nicole’s cousins.

Cam broke in. “Really, Vala, no one wants to hear those old yarns again.”

“Yarns?” Vala echoed, puzzled.

“I do,” Nicole protested. “But hey, now we’re all together! So, Cam, Vala says you bake a mean batch of macaroons.”

“My grandmother’s recipe,” he admitted, eyeing Vala warily. Then he nudged Savannah gently. “So, tell me, what do you do?”

“I’m a video game writer for an indie developer just outside Denver,” she said. 

Cam’s eyes lit up. “I like video games. Any I’d know?”

“Unless you’re into puzzle-based platformer RPGs, probably not,” Savannah said.

Vala’s expression turned thoughtful. “You mean those games where you have to climb things and jump onto things and then solve those puzzles to make it to the next stage?”

Savannah nodded. “Yes.”

Vala nudged Cam. “You and Daniel play that one all the time, the one with the boys who can turn into cats.”

“Actually, that’s a game I wrote,” Savannah said. “Not very many people play it in co-op mode, but -”

“But there are extra bonus levels that way.” Cam looked a little bashful. “I really love that game. And the whole cat-boy thing. Kinda reminds me of Hocus Pocus.”

“That’s exactly what I was going for,” Savannah said. “That kind of subtle pop culture nostalgia.”

“Wow. It’s kind of like being in the presence of a celebrity.” Then Cam cleared his throat. “Did you write The Garden of Everything, too?”

“The game with the magical girls and the flowers and the tea?” Vala looked surprised. “I can’t believe you like that game. Daniel says that game is for girls.”

Sandra’s son liked video games, and she’d play simple puzzle games, but she’d never been consumed by a game for hours on end like her son could be.

Cam cast Savannah a look, then said very patiently to Vala, “I played that game a lot when I was in the hospital. It really helped pass the time when I couldn’t get up and move around.”

“Oh, that’s right! After that plane crash. The one they gave you that medal thingie for.” Vala snapped her fingers. “What does Sam call it? The Medal of...Horror? No. Honor!”

Sandra raised her eyebrows. Her father had been a Marine. She understood just what the Medal of Honor meant. And how few recipients were actually alive to receive one.

“Yeah, that.” Cam winced. But then he smiled at Savannah. “I really love your video games. You should tell your team to be proud of them.”

“Will do.”

Cam asked Sandra and Nicole questions about what they did, and they all chatted about their respective jobs, and then Nicole said, 

“Hey, those roadies look like they’re gearing up for big times. Let’s go!” She and Vala surged toward the stage, darting past super-fans.

Cam led the charge after them so they didn’t lose Nicole again, apologizing left and right. Sandra hung back a little, let Savannah go first to clear the way.

“Vala,” Cam said, catching her by the shoulder. “Don’t do that.”

“Nicole,” Savannah said, just the same way.

Nicole, unlike Vala, looked apologetic.

Savannah carefully plucked the soda cup out of Nicole’s hands and handed it over to Sandra, who took a sip.

“Mmmmm. A Southern Gentleman. Extra dirty.”

“What?” Cam asked, startled.

Immediately Sandra realized how that must have sounded. “The soda.” She waggled Nicole’s cup. “Dr. Pepper. Shots of vanilla and peach. Dash of half-and-half.”

“Oh. Actually, that sounds good. Can I have a taste?” 

Sandra surrendered the drink.

Nicole made a small mewl of protest, but then she sighed and surrendered to her fate. No more caffeine for her for the rest of the day.

Savannah tried some after that, and then Vala had another sip, and before further protest could be lodged, the band spilled onto the stage.

They scooped up their instruments and ripped into the opening chords of Never Have I Ever, and the crowd burst into cheers, Sandra included. She sang along at the top of her lungs while all around her the crowd surged and moved. Cam and Savannah were nodding along to the music, listening thoughtfully. Nicole was jumping up and down with the crowd, and Vala looked puzzled.

When the song ended, the lead singer shouted a greeting to the crowd, who yelled back. Sandra cheered loudly when the band segued into her favorite song, Bleed.

Between songs, Cam and Savannah exchanged music critiques. Nicole was teaching Vala how to dance along with the songs, and soon the two of them were moving together, laughing and smiling. The final song of the set was, of course, Tonight Tonight, and the entire crowd went wild, singing along and dancing. The band said their farewells before the last chords faded, and then they dashed off of the stage, the audience’s thunderous applause on their heels.

“Wow, that was so much fun!” Vala said. “I can’t believe I’ve never done this before. There aren’t nearly enough of these in - in what we do.” Her eyes were shining. “Thank you for bringing me, Cameron.”

“You’re welcome, Vala.” He smiled at her.

“After all that singing, I need a drink,” Sandra said.

Nicole perked up.

“No caffeine for you,” Savannah said firmly.

Cam fished in his pocket for his wallet. “Beverages in these places are always overpriced.”

“But there’s usually water fountains by the restrooms.” Nicole dug in one of her jacket pockets - she was possessed of a black denim jacket that had seemingly innumerable pockets - and came up with four rolls of plastic which, when unrolled, were collapsible water bottles. “So we could fill these instead.”

“You’re such a Boy Scout.” Savannah patted her head fondly.

“Nope, just married to one.” Nicole beamed. “Let’s go!”

“What else do you have in your pockets?” Vala asked.

“Hand sanitizer, on the horrifying chance that the bathrooms run out of paper towels - or worse,” Nicole said, expression darkening. “Also tissues. A notebook and pen. Cell phone. Keys. I keep my money in my bra. No one’s getting a hand in there without me noticing.”

Vala eyed her speculatively. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that.”

“I would.” Nicole smiled, not sweetly, and led the way to the restrooms.

Of course, the line at the women’s was terrible, but by the time Sandra, Savannah, and Vala emerged, Cam and Nicole had filled up all the water bottles.

Cam and Vala hadn’t really looked at the available merchandise, so they made another pass of the tables. As they looked, Sandra gleaned more information about Cam and Vala’s teammates. Sam was an astrophysicist and also an Air Force pilot, and she enjoyed mostly sixties and seventies folk rock. Murray - Vala said his name with a certain dryness - enjoyed classical music and, puzzlingly, hip-hop. Daniel was an archaeologist and liked what Cam called ethnic music but was probably more properly described as world music.

An archaeologist named Daniel. Hadn’t John and Rodney been looking for clues about Sea People in Hawaii on behalf of an archaeologist named Daniel? 

Sandra tried to catch Nicole’s eye, beckon her closer so they could confer, but then Savannah was checking her watch. David Gilmour would be on soon. Did they want to get good spots?

As they crossed the field toward the other stage, Cam, Savannah, and Nicole were all explaining about Pink Floyd and David Gilmour to Vala.

“You’re English and you’ve never heard of Pink Floyd?” Savannah looked puzzled.

“Vala lived a very - sheltered existence, in some ways,” Cam said, and Vala nodded, expression apologetic and a little embarrassed.

Nicole patted her arm. “I get it. My parents’ taste in music just kind of ends in 1965. I only ever learned to listen to Pink Floyd because of my husband.”

Sandra glanced at Savannah, who shrugged. Nicole had missed something important, but Sandra couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was. Nicole explained to Vala how David Gilmour was a talented guitarist not because of his technical skill - not that he wasn’t technically skilled - but because of the emotion he put into his songs. Most of his guitar solos were simple pentatonic things, but he could make a guitar sound like it was weeping.

“How do you know this?” Vala asked.

“Well, I did go to very fine private schools growing up, and music class was mandatory up through middle school, so I learned things like composition and song analysis. Also, I’m married to a musician, and he teaches me things. Do you play any instruments?”

“No, but I’ve been told I’m all right at singing,” Vala said. “What about you, Cam? Do you play an instrument?”

“Piano. Every Sunday at church, growing up. Not much of a singer, though.” Cam glanced at Sandra. “You?”

“No instrument, just singing. Savannah, you sing too, right?”

“Yeah, I was in my high school madrigals. I play the bass, too. Been learning the ukulele.”

“What’s a ukulele?” Vala asked.

“It’s a teeny tiny guitar, kinda.” Savannah shaped it in the air with her hands.

They watched roadies darting back and forth across the stage arranging instruments and wires and doing soundchecks.

“So,” Nicole said to Cam, “what’s your favorite song off the new album?”

Someone started whistling, slow and melancholy.

“Not this one.” Cam’s expression turned tense.

“I love this one,” Nicole said.

Everyone in the crowd went quiet as a man strode onto the stage, whistling into a microphone, guitar strapped across his back. The other musicians drifted after him, and as one they all hit the opening chord.

Nicole sang along to the song, her expression solemn but her eyes bright. Savannah was listening with her usual thoughtful expression, considering and analyzing. Vala was swaying to the music, eyes closed. And Cam - Cam just looked pained.

_ Home and done _ __  
_ It’s just begun _ __  
_ His heart weighs more _ _  
_ _ More than it ever did before _

_ What has he done? _ __  
_ God help my son _ __  
_ Hey, stay awhile _ _  
_ _ I’ll stay up _

_ No sugar is enough _ __  
_ To bring sweetness to his cup _ __  
_ I know sorrow _ _  
_ _ Tastes the same on any tongue _

Sandra closed her eyes and took the song in, and Nicole was right - that guitar really did sound like it was weeping. When she opened her eyes, Nicole was still singing along, swaying to the song. Vala and Savannah were swaying with her.

Cam had his head bowed, face pale.

Sandra caught a glimpse of what must have been upsetting him when the lyrics washed over her.

_ How was I to see straight _ __  
_ In the dust and blinding sun, _ _  
_ _ Just a pair of boots on the ground? _

The song was about a soldier.

Vala noticed something was wrong with Cam, had a hand on his shoulder, was trying to catch his gaze.

He shook his head, ducking away from her.

The refrain kicked in again.

_ What has he done? _ __  
_ God help my son _ __  
_ Hey, stay awhile _ _  
_ _ I’ll stay up _

Sandra wondered, briefly, what Cam had done in service to his country, that he was reacting so strongly to this song, but then she decided she didn’t want to know.

_ The volume pumped right up _ __  
_ But not enough to drown it out _ __  
_ I hear “Mama” _ _  
_ _ Sounds the same in any tongue _

Cam’s hands were curled into fists at his sides, and he was forcing himself to take deep breaths. And he’d  _ wanted _ to listen to this band?

But then the guitar was wailing something fierce, and Cam was looking at Vala, speaking to her in a low voice, and he seemed calmer.

Savannah and Nicole had their eyes closed, were swaying to the guitar solo.

When the song ended, the audience applauded, but a somber air had fallen over them.

The guitarist spoke briefly to the audience, introduced a guest who’d be playing with them on the next song, a saxophone player.

Nicole became very excited. She tugged on Vala’s wrist and managed to elbow a few people out of the way to clear a little space - to dance, to the surprisingly jazzy song that the band played next, a slow, sensuous thing about the beautiful girl in the canary yellow dress. Nicole began to wind and sway, and all those years of doing hula and bellydance had paid off. Vala could follow admirably, had excellent control of her own body. She was smiling, flirting with onlookers, eating up the attention, but Nicole was just enjoying the song.

Cam elbowed one man who got a little too close to Vala, and Savannah shifted between Nicole and a skeevy-looking teenage boy, but the song ended before anything too scandalous could happen, and the audience broke into cheers.

The band played some Pink Floyd classics after that, with a lot of people singing along, and finished with a song that Cam lit up for. For that he one clapped and cheered and sang along, and stranger though he was, Sandra was glad to see him smile.

_ Rattle that lock and lose those chains! _

Everyone joined in on the chorus of the last song, enough that the band dropped out and the lead singer urged the audience on, clapping his hands over his head.

After the band said farewell, Cam cut a swift path through the crowd, fast and efficient enough to put Nicole to shame.

Sandra followed him.

“Hey, are you all right?”

He turned to her, startled. “What? Yeah. Just - crowds. Don’t always like them.”

Sandra bit her lip. “I don’t mean to be nosy, but my dad was a Marine, and that first song -”

Cam smiled tightly. “Yeah. Hits me hard every time. Thanks for checking.” He glanced over his shoulder at Vala, and Sandra realized. Did he think she was hitting on him?

Time to redirect. Typical friend-zone lines like  _ you’re like my brother _ wouldn’t work here. “I guess it’s the mom in me,” she said. “My son gets pretty close-mouthed when he’s upset, but he’s more sensitive than he lets on.”

Cam didn’t looked surprised or offended, though, just smiled. “You have a son? How old?”

Sandra told him a bit about her boy, how he was a teenager and liked video games and had just discovered the joy of Dungeons & Dragons. The others caught up to them. After two sets it was time for lunch.

“We burned a lot of energy with all that dancing,” Vala said. “What can we do for food?”

“I saw a booth with Greek food,” Nicole said. “You can never go wrong with dolmathes and gyros.”

“I just want junk food,” Savannah said. “Today’s my day off from my diet. So...funnel cakes!”

Sandra perked up. “I think they were selling those at a booth right next to the one selling zeppoles.”

“I’ve never had those,” Nicole and Vala said at the same time.

Sandra, Savannah, and Cam stared at them.

“Well, I was going to get a really large order of nachos for me and Vala to share,” Cam said.

“We could all share together, like a picnic,” Nicole said. “That way everyone can try a bit of everything.”

Savannah stared at her, then patted her on the head again. “All those communal lunches you ate in middle school really warped your sense of food etiquette, didn’t they?”

“I’ve never stabbed a table-mate with my chopsticks to get to the fish-eye first,” Nicole said primly. “To the food!”

And she and Vala darted into the crowd.

“It’s like trying to keep hold of a greased piglet,” Cam said, watching them go for a moment before he started after them.

“I am  _ so _ telling them you called them pigs,” Sandra said.

Cam looked alarmed. “What? No, it’s just -”

Sandra laughed. “I’m kidding. We get it. We really do.” She looked up at Savannah. “Seriously, the next time we do anything like this, we are so outfitting her with one of those stuffed animal backpacks on a leash.”

“Noted,” Savannah said, very seriously, and actually typed a note on her phone.

By the time they caught up to Vala and Nicole, who’d vanished pretty thoroughly in the throng, they’d commandeered a picnic table that was laden with nachos, funnel cake, zeppoles, and dolmathes and Greek salad.

“Vala,” Cam said, tone slow and patient and suspicious all at once, “how did you pay for our share?”

She smiled sweetly at him. “Why, with my debit card, of course. I do get paid, you know.”

“Of course.” Cam eyed her, but her smile remained sweet.

Nicole had also refilled the plastic water bottles for everyone.

Everyone dug in, sharing spoons and knives and forks freely. Vala was very excited to try all kinds of new food. Of the four of them, Savannah was the most accomplished chef and baker. Nicole had tried the most different kinds of foods, but Cam was the more adventurous eater. 

They also consulted the schedule for the day, considering who they’d want to see after lunch. Sandra was interested in seeing Imagine Dragons, and Savannah had high hopes for Florence + The Machine.

“What kind of machine?” Vala asked.

“That’s just the name of the band,” Savannah said. “Florence Welch is the lead singer, and sometimes she sings solo, but with her band, they are Florence + The Machine.”

“First, though. Muse,” Nicole said.

So it was decided.

“This has been really lovely,” Vala said, walking a little ahead with Sandra and Nicole while Cam and Savannah hung back a bit, talking more about video games. “I know Cam isn’t always excited to take me out and about, so I’m sure he’s grateful you’re taking some of the pressure off of him. I appreciate that you’re letting us spend time with you. I’m sure you’d rather have memories of just the three of you.”

“Not at all,” Sandra said. “We love meeting new people. Makes things interesting.”

Belatedly, she remembered that old Chinese curse Nicole always quoted when people said they were bored:  _ May you live in interesting times. _

Sandra also remembered that they hadn’t taken a single picture so far. As she was the chief scrapbooker of their group of friends, it usually fell to her to take the pictures.

“Speaking of memories, we should capture some!” Sandra fished in her pocket for her phone. “Come closer.”

Vala and Nicole crowded in immediately, smiling and posing for the camera. Sandra called over her shoulder to Savannah and Cam. He looked at Vala askance for a moment, but then he joined in with their photos. A generous passerby offered to take a photo of all five of them.

“If you give me your email address,” Sandra said to Vala, “I can send you copies.”

“I’d really like that. Er, Cam, what is my email address?”

“Just use mine,” he said. It was mitchell.cameron@us.af.mil.

Sandra resisted the urge to look him up on Google. If he’d received the Medal of Honor, he’d be easy to find. Of course, even without knowing his last name she could have looked him up just by checking the list of Medal of Honor recipients. How many could have been named Cameron, anyway?

Just one, it appeared.

Sandra sent off the photos and, feeling a little guilty, looked him up on Google.

He looked dashing, in his uniform, with the medal around his neck.

She shut her browser down and focused back in on the others’ conversation.

Nicole was telling Cam about how her uncle had been a test pilot with the RAF and willingly resigned his commission and served out his hitch as a low-ranking airman after watching a lot of his comrades die when the test craft failed.

Sometimes her social obliviousness was the worst. At least she wasn’t interrogating Cam and Vala like she did with new people sometimes.

Savannah insisted on picking a vantage point that wasn’t too close to the stage but gave them a view of the whole stage because, in her experience, the light show Muse put on was phenomenal, and it was best to see as much of it as possible.

“Will we get very good lights?” Sandra asked. “Outdoor in the sun like this.”

“Their shows are award-winning for a reason,” Savannah assured her.

Conversation turned to previous concerts they had been to. Cam had gone to a fair number growing up, though most of his had been USO concerts in recent history. Vala, of course, had been to none before today. All the while, Savannah and Nicole were watching the roadies moving about on the stage, arrangement instruments and doing final soundchecks. The crowd around them grew and grew, forcing them to shuffle closer to each other.

“What’s your favorite Muse song?” Nicole asked Savannah.

And then a cheer rose up as the band stepped out onto the stage.

Bright keyboard music and a steady drum beat filled the air.

Savannah grinned and said, “This one.”

Sandra had never really listened to Muse before, and even if she had, she was pretty sure she couldn’t have sung along, as good as her voice was. The lead singer had one of those voices that sounded high but was actually deceptively deep, and also he had incredible range, and keeping up with him even with practice would have been a nightmare.

Savannah could do it, though. Even Cam looked surprised and impressed. Once again, Nicole was teaching Vala how to dance. 

When the first song ended, the crowd was absolutely raucous in its enthusiasm. The band wasn’t very chatty, though, just offered a brief  _ hello! _ and then launched into their next song.

It took Sandra a moment before she realized that the pulses of light she was seeing from the edge of the field weren’t, in fact, lighting effects from a stage show.

They were some kind of weapon blast.

Cam shouted, “Take cover.” He scooped Nicole up, flung her over his shoulder in a fireman’s hold before she could protest, and took off running. Savannah bolted after him.

Vala grabbed Sandra’s wrist and made to follow, but in the panic and stampeding they lost sight of Cam, and Vala dragged Sandra toward the stage. She ducked behind some equipment cases and crouched down, scanning the crowd.

She was a civilian contractor, but she looked just as battle-alert as any soldier.

The first thing she did was fire up her cellphone. “Mitchell, where are you? I have Sandra.” She peered around the crate.

More red and yellow bursts of light exploded over the crowd.

Sandra watched in horror as people fell when the light hit them. They crashed to the ground, unmoving. It took her a moment to figure out who the attackers were. They were men and women, perfectly human, wearing black-and-red leather uniforms. How they weren’t dying of heatstroke in those outfits was a mystery.

“Okay, I might be able to get there. Hang on. Have you called General Landry? Do that. He listens to you more than he listens to me. Don’t move. Yes, well, I’m more mobile than you, aren’t I?”

As Vala was speaking, she was creeping along the row of equipment cases toward the stage.

Sandra followed her, heart pounding. Should she call 911? Where was event security? Probably overwhelmed by all the chaos.

Vala pocketed her phone, reached into her jacket, and fished what looked like a little ring out of her pocket, slipped it on over her third and fourth fingers. She glanced back at Sandra.

“Stay behind me and stay low. Unless you happen to be armed and trained?”

“No. They checked all our purses at the gate,” Sandra said. She remembered how Nicole had tackled that one man during the craziness in Hawaii and hoped she didn’t do anything crazy this time.

“Fair enough. Mitchell said he was over this way. Ready to run?”

Sandra hated running, but she liked being alive. “Sure.”

Vala took a deep breath, crouched, and sprang.

Sandra scrambled after her.

They both crashed into Cam.

“There you are!” He grabbed Vala by the shoulder.

“I told you to stay put,” she snapped. “We were on our way to you.”

“We?” Cam echoed, flicking a puzzled glance at Sandra. Then he looked Vala up and down. “What the hell are you wearing?”

She rolled her eyes. “Really? Now is not the time. And me? What the hell are  _ you _ wearing?”

Cam was wearing black leather pants and a black t-shirt. And carrying a massive firearm somewhere between a sawn-off shotgun and a rifle.

Sandra said, “Where are Nicole and Savannah?”

“Who?” Cam asked. To Vala he said, “Did you find it or what?”

“Find what?”

“The alloy sample. The whole reason we came to Earth with Peacekeepers hot on our tail? Did you hit your head?”

Vala started to raise her hand, the one with the funny ring. “What’s a Peacekeeper?”

Cam stared at her. “Aeryn. You were a Peacekeeper.”

She shook her head, backing up. Her shoulder bumped Sandra’s, and Sandra backed up too. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Aeryn -”

And then Vala’s twin, also clad in black on black, caught Cam’s arm. She said something that sounded like  _ John _ and was otherwise utterly garbled. Then she spotted Vala and twitched her weapon up to aim at her - and Sandra.

The other man who was  _ not _ Cam, who might have been called  _ John, _ stared at the other woman, then at Vala.

“Aeryn,” he said to the other woman, “is there something you want to tell me?”

Again her response was garbled and - inhuman.

The man said to Vala, “Who are you?”

And then Cam, Savannah, and Nicole burst onto the scene.

“Vala,” Cam said, and came up short.

He and his twin stared at each other.

They said, at the same time and with the same exact intonation, “Who the hell are you?”

“Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell, United States Air Force.”

“John Crichton, International Aeronautics and Space Administration.”

“There’s no such thing,” Cam said flatly.

John smiled briefly. “Maybe not on this Earth.”

“This Earth,” Cam said slowly. “Did you come from another dimension?”

“Yes,” John said. “And now we have to get back to ours. C’mon, Aeryn.”

Aeryn, Vala’s much sterner-looking clone, nodded sharply.

There was a shout.

Aeryn, John, Vala, and Cam all turned as one, let loose a volley of weapon blasts.

John and Aeryn looked surprised at Vala and Cam’s weapons (Cam’s was a weird z-shaped metal thing that was disturbingly phallic-looking), but three black-and-red uniformed people were unconscious on the grass.

Nicole darted toward them, scooped up their weapons, and came scurrying back. She handed one to Sandra, the other to Savannah.

“You know how to use those?” Cam asked.

“Point and shoot,” Nicole said, shrugged.

“Do you have any training?” Cam asked.

“Took some tactical shooting classes after I got some death threats at work,” Nicole said, shrugging again.

“I play a lot of Nerf war?” Savannah offered.

Sandra said, “I think I participated in a water pistol fight. Possibly several decades ago.”

Cam looked pained for a moment, but then he turned to John, all business. “These people followed you here?”

John nodded. 

“Why are you here?”

“Looking to make a wormhole so I can get home,” John said. “Our ship’s scanner registered an alloy available on this planet that can help with the creation of a stable wormhole.”

Vala and Cam exchanged significant looks.

Aeryn eyed them, spoke swiftly.

John held up a hand. “They can’t understand you like I can. But is she right? Do you know where some is?”

“I think I know what you’re talking about,” Cam said, “but what supply we have on Earth is rare, and has significant strategic value. We can’t give you any. But we can tell you what other planets in this galaxy might have some.”

Other planets. He said it so casually.

John considered. Then he nodded. “All right. What are the coordinates for those planets?”

“That’s a little too much science for me,” Cam said. “How about we get rid of these fetish club wannabes and work from there?”

“Too much science for you? You’re not an astronaut?” John looked confused.

“No, but I play one on TV,” Cam drawled. “Look, there’s no way the local security guys can handle what’s happening. We need to get on this, and get on it now.”

“Did you call General Landry?” Vala asked.

Cam nodded. “Reinforcements are on the way. In the meantime, it’s just us.”

“What’s the plan?” Vala asked.

“You take Sandra. I’ll keep Savannah. John, you take Nicole. We fan out best as we can, sweep them all toward the far end of the field. Can you tell your friend that?” 

Nicole went to stand beside John, her little blaster at the ready. Her expression was grim, and Sandra was terrified and confused and also a little numb.

Alien invasion.

Aliens had seemed so cool when Rodney talked about them. Because they were theoretical and also kind of...far away.

Now they were here. And they looked all too human.

John spoke to Aeryn, and she nodded.

Nicole said to Sandra and Savannah, “Fire up walkie mode on your phone. So we can stay in contact.”

“Good idea,” Cam said. He glanced at John. “You ready?”

John nodded.

Sandra didn’t like the notion of Nicole going off with aliens, not one bit, but Vala and Cam seemed trusting enough of them, apparently had experience with aliens (were probably part of the same project as Rodney McKay and John Sheppard), and there was a battle going on.

Sandra had to keep herself alive. For her boy.

And possibly for Earth.

“Stay behind me,” Vala said to Sandra, and at Cam’s signal, everyone split up.

“Don’t shoot unless I say,” Vala said. “I have no idea how long those things charge between shots.”

Judging by the veritable firework display of blaster beams, Sandra didn’t think it was all that long.

Vala crept back along the row of equipment boxes, paused, scanned. Raised her hand.

A beam of light erupted from her little ring.

Someone cried out in pain, and then Vala was darting across the grass.

Sandra scrambled after her.

Vala scooped up the fallen soldier’s space blaster, though she kept her weapon ring on, and across the grass they went.

Even though the crowd was still chaos, running and screaming, it seemed the enemy soldiers were innumerable.

But then Vala felled another soldier with a single shot, and a teenage boy darted in, grabbed the soldier’s blaster, and fell in with Vala and Sandra.

“Lieutenant Nealson, United States Marine Corps, ma’am,” he said, nodding to Vala.

“Marines. Love them.” She spared him a flirty wink before she was all business again.

“I’m just a civilian,” Sandra said.

The boy nodded at her. “Stick with me. I’ll protect you.”

He looked barely older than Sandra’s own boy, but he handled the weapon comfortably.

Vala led the charge across the grass. Every time she took down a soldier, Sandra stole his or her weapon, and on they moved. She barely spoke, but she could hear Nicole and Savannah back and forth on the phones, relaying instructions to hand out weapons, shift positions. Sometimes Nicole let John speak on her phone to Aeryn, who could understand his English but no one else’s for some alien reason. 

More and more people joined them, men and women, boys and girls, some with military training, others who were hunters or hobby shooters, and also some of the local security team.

Sandra was still numb and dazed as she handed out alien blaster pistols, but soon Vala had a good little troop. And Sandra could see that the line of fire was consolidating, could see that Aeryn and John and Cam had mustered little troops of their own.

When they reached the far end of the field, the humans had taken control back.

“What now?” one of the security men asked Cam. He did a double-take when John arrived.

“Now we round up the enemy soldiers for interrogation, most likely,” Cam said.

Sandra’s heart had been pounding so loudly in her head for so long that she was pretty sure she’d gone deaf, so when she heard helicopters, for a moment she was puzzled.

Was someone playing a Pink Floyd song?

No, it was actual helicopters.

Overhead.

Men in uniforms were rappelling down from them, armed to the teeth.

One of them landed in front of John and saluted.

“Colonel Mitchell, sir! Orders?”

John made a twirling gesture. “Behind you, son.”

The soldier turned, stared at Cam. “Sir?”

“Yes, me. Battle’s already won, but you’ll need to round up the hostiles, set up stations for medical treatment, and call Colonel Davis from the Pentagon to get his troop of JAG officers down here so people can sign NDAs.”

“Sir, yes, sir!” The young soldier saluted, then turned and headed toward the other men who’d rappelled down, shouting orders.

“Jeez, Mitchell. This is what you do on your time off?”

Sandra would know that voice anywhere.

“Sheppard,” Cam drawled. “I thought you were on vacation too.”

“Rodney and I were out the door and on our way to the airport when the call came in. Priority one.”

“Hawaii again?” Sandra asked.

John Sheppard turned to her, eyes wide. “Hey, I know you!”

“You do?” Cam asked.

“Yeah, when Rodney and I were in Hawaii last year, looking for that stuff for Jackson, we ran into this lady and - where’s your crazy little friend?” Sheppard scanned the crowd.

Crazy little friend. Nicole. Savannah.

They were both sitting on the ground, Savannah hyperventilating with her head between her knees while Nicole patted her back, looking dazed. Sandra rushed to their side, dropped to her knees beside Savannah and patted her back as well. It was Nicole who burst into tears.

Both of the Johns looked alarmed, as did Aeryn and Cam, but Vala crouched down beside Nicole and patted her back.

“There, there, it’ll be all right,” Vala said gently.

“Well,” Sheppard said, “these two ladies don’t need to sign NDAs, because they’ve already done that.”

Nicole lifted her head sharply, her eyes red-rimmed but her gaze furious. She caught Savannah’s wrist in a white-knuckled grip. “One for her too. I’m not going anywhere without her.”

Cam’s expression turned hesitant, but Nicole snapped her glare over to him and said, “You can’t make me.”

Given that she was still holding a blaster pistol, Cam seemed disinclined to argue with her.

Savannah finally sat up, breathing more normally. She patted Nicole on the arm. “It’s fine. I’m fine. We’re safe.” 

Nicole spotted Sheppard. “Oh. Hey. The bestest surf instructor ever. I managed a foam climb the other day. Thought of you.”

Sheppard looked both alarmed and amused. “Good. That’s good.” Then he leaned in to Cam. “Did you and Vala get, you know, Xeroxed while my back was turned?”

“Interdimensional travelers,” Cam said.

“And you haven’t experienced any - whatchamacallit. Entropic cascade failure?”

“No. Think they might be too different from us. His Vala is an alien.”

“How is that different from our Vala?”

“I mean  _ really _ alien.” Cam spoke a little louder, “Hey, Aeryn, how are you at picking pockets?”

“Well, I never,” Vala said, offended.

Aeryn’s response was sharp and, again, inhuman.

Sheppard raised his eyebrows.

Crichton said, “Aeryn, maybe just - don’t say anything. Till we’re somewhere more private.”

She punched him in the arm but said nothing.

Vala smiled at her. “A woman after my own heart.”

Sandra managed to coax Nicole and Savannah to their feet, convinced Nicole to give up her weapon, and then the three of them let Cam and Sheppard guide them to a medic station that had been set up.

Sheppard got on the radio, directing troops. He’d ordered a very wide perimeter to keep the press and local LEOs away. Rodney was somewhere else in the melee, establishing some kind of network security and confiscating people’s cellphones to cut down on classified information leaking further. Sheppard and Cam also went to commandeer local security to help with rounding up civilians and getting them to the appropriate stations. More troops were rounding up the prisoners, for which Crichton and Aeryn were summoned away, because only they could speak to the conscious prisoners. As Crichton and Aeryn drifted away, Sandra overheard talk of the combat carrier that had transported the enemy Peacekeeper troops to Earth (such an ironic name for people who’d just unloaded on a crowd of civilians with their alien blasters) and also the transport pod Crichton and Aeryn had used to come to Earth. Those would need to be rounded up and removed from prying eyes.

Nicole had used her unholy powers of persuasion to acquire another caffeinated soda, which was the last thing she needed, but she was holding the big gulp mug in both hands and sitting quietly, so it was better than nothing.

Savannah was sitting beside her, so Sandra sat down on the other side of her.

There was a soft, glass-like ping. Heads turned.

Savannah fished in her pocket and came up with her cell phone.

She laughed.

“What is it?” Vala asked. Unlike Cam or Sheppard, she was not out and about issuing orders.

“A text message from my husband,” Savannah said. “He wants to know if we’re having a good time.”

Nicole stopped drinking long enough to say, “Tell him we’re having a blast.”

**Author's Note:**

> Soundtrack:
> 
> Never Have I Ever - Hot Chelle Rae  
> Bleed - Hot Chelle Rae  
> Tonight Tonight - Hot Chelle Rae  
> In Any Tongue - David Gilmour  
> The Girl in the Yellow Dress - David Gilmour  
> Rattle That Lock - David Gilmour  
> Starlight - Muse


End file.
